Egypt visa guideIndian passport holders need a visa for Egypt, and most tourists get the e-Visa online at visa2egypt.gov.eg, the Ministry of Interior's portal. A single-entry tourist e-Visa costs USD 30 and a multiple-entry one USD 65, each for stays of up to 30 days. Apply at least 7 days before departure, then print the e-Visa and carry it with your passport.
The alternative is a sticker visa from the Embassy of Egypt in New Delhi, filed at a VFS Global centre without an appointment. It takes at least 10 to 12 working days in Delhi and needs a tour programme from an Egyptian travel agent.
Do Indians need a visa for Egypt, and which one?
Yes. Ordinary Indian passport holders need a visa for an Egypt holiday, and for most people that means the e-Visa. Egypt's Ministry of Interior runs the official portal, visa2egypt.gov.eg, and India is on its list of nationalities that can be issued an e-Visa. You apply and pay online, wait for the approval email, then print the e-Visa and show it at the airport.
There are two tourist e-Visas: single entry at USD 30 and multiple entry at USD 65. Each allows a stay of up to 30 days. The portal says to create your application at least 7 days before departure.
Egypt tourist visa for Indians at a glance
- Main routeOnline; no centre visit, no biometrics
- e-Visa at visa2egypt.gov.eg
- e-Visa feePaid by card; non-refundable
- USD 30 single entry, USD 65 multiple
- Stay
- Up to 30 days per visit
- Apply byThe portal's minimum
- 7 days before departure
- Embassy route₹4,000 single entry plus ₹800 VFS fee
- Sticker visa through VFS Global
- Passport
- Valid at least 6 months from arrival
Egypt e-Visa Portal (Ministry of Interior) and VFS Global Egypt India, checked 14 Oct 2026
The second route is a sticker visa from the Embassy of Egypt in New Delhi, filed through VFS Global. It costs more, takes longer and needs an itinerary from an Egyptian travel agent, so most holidaymakers use it only when the e-Visa does not suit them.
What about a visa on arrival? India's Ministry of External Affairs lists a visa on arrival for Indians who hold a valid US, Schengen, UK or GCC visa and have travelled on it at least once. Egypt's own e-Visa portal says a visa is required prior to entry. When two official sources point different ways, follow the stricter one: get the e-Visa before you fly, even if you hold such a visa.
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
For the e-Visa, online from home. Create an account on the portal, confirm it, choose the visa type and read the instructions, fill in the form, pay by Visa card, MasterCard or another debit card, and wait for the approval email. Then download the e-Visa from your account and print it. Parents apply for their children from their own account.
Use only visa2egypt.gov.eg. The footer reads Ministry of Interior, Arab Republic of Egypt. Other websites that sell an "Egypt e-Visa" are middlemen; the official e-Visa is issued only through this portal. Only ordinary passports can use it: diplomatic, service, official and other special passports must go to an embassy or consulate.
For the sticker visa, you go to a VFS Global Egypt visa application centre, and the Embassy of Egypt in New Delhi decides. VFS says no appointment is needed: you simply walk into the centre to start the application. VFS quotes processing times for its Delhi location and for its other locations in India; from Punjab, Delhi is the practical choice. You pay VFS's logistics fee there in cash, by card or by UPI.
Which documents depend on your situation?
The e-Visa form asks for your details online. What you carry to the airport, and what the sticker-visa route asks for, is where your situation matters.
Holiday on your own plan
- What changes
- Hotel bookings and a list of places you will visit, as the portal's entry requirements ask
Business trip or visiting family on a tourist e-Visa
- What changes
- A supporting letter at the airport: a letter from your company, or the invitation letter from your host
Family with children
- What changes
- Each person needs their own e-Visa; parents apply for children from the parent's account
Sticker visa (embassy route)
- What changes
- A detailed tour programme on the letterhead of an Egyptian travel agent, signed and stamped, plus a copy of that agent's national ID
Sticker visa, any applicant
- What changes
- 6 months of personal bank statements with the bank's original signature and stamp, a confirmed return air ticket and a confirmed hotel voucher
Holder of a diplomatic or official passport
- What changes
- Not eligible for the e-Visa; apply at an Egyptian embassy or consulate
On the embassy route, VFS also asks for a request letter from you giving the purpose of the visit and your passport details, copies of the first and last pages of your passport, and two colour photos taken within the last month. The photo must be 3.5 cm by 4.5 cm on a white background; scans and colour photocopies are not accepted.
How much is the Egypt visa fee for Indians?
The tourist e-Visa costs USD 30 for a single entry and USD 65 for multiple entries, paid online by card, and the processing fee is not refunded. On the embassy route, VFS lists the tourist visa at ₹4,000 for a single entry or ₹8,000 for multiple entries, including the embassy's ₹500 processing fee, plus a VFS logistics fee of ₹800 for all locations (checked on 14 October 2026). VFS says these fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
For the e-Visa, the portal asks you to create the application at least 7 days before departure, and it emails you as soon as the application has been processed. Apply two to three weeks ahead and you have room to fix a problem.
The embassy route is slower. VFS gives a minimum of 10 to 12 working days for the Delhi location and 12 to 15 working days for other locations in India, and says the embassy can make it longer or shorter. Count from the day you hand in the file, and allow for public holidays, when the centres close. For the sticker visa, start at least four weeks before you fly.
Why do Egypt visas get refused for Indian applicants?
Egypt publishes no refusal statistics, but its portal and VFS's checklist name the ways an application fails or a traveller is turned back.
An incomplete application
The portal's disclaimer is short: incomplete applications will be rejected, and the processing fee is not refunded. Fill in every field from your passport, check it, and only then pay.
Assuming the e-Visa settles everything
The portal says an e-Visa is not the final authority to enter Egypt, and that port authorities can refuse entry to an e-Visa holder without any explanation. Carry what the portal lists for arrival: the e-Visa printout, a passport valid 6 months, your itinerary, a supporting letter where relevant, and hotel details.
Working on a visit visa
The portal warns that engaging in any business or employment without the required permit or pass is an offence. A tourist e-Visa is for a visit. A job in Egypt needs a work visa, which is a separate category.
An embassy file without the Egyptian travel agent's papers
On the sticker route, VFS asks for a detailed tour programme on the letterhead of an Egyptian travel agent, signed and stamped, and the agent's national ID copy. A self-made itinerary does not meet that checklist.
Photos and statements that miss the rules
VFS rejects scanned and colour-photocopied photos, and wants photos no more than a month old. Bank statements must cover 6 months and carry the bank's original signature and stamp.
Tips for a stronger file
- Apply for each traveller separately. The portal requires every visitor to apply in their own account, except that parents can apply for their children.
- Choose single or multiple entry before paying. If you plan a side trip to Jordan or Israel and back, the multiple-entry e-Visa at USD 65 saves a second application.
- Print the e-Visa. It is not stuck in your passport; the portal says the printout must be presented at the port of entry.
- Keep bookings consistent. The hotel bookings, cruise confirmation and return flight should all fit the dates on your e-Visa application.
- Carry a supporting letter if the trip is not pure tourism. For a business visit or a family visit, the portal lists a company letter or invitation letter among the entry requirements.
- Buy travel insurance anyway. The portal does not list it, but take a policy that covers every day of your stay.
- Check the passport first. It needs 6 months of validity from the date you arrive, and only ordinary passports can use the e-Visa.
Can you get an Egypt visa on arrival as an Indian?
Treat it as uncertain, and do not plan around it. India's Ministry of External Affairs, in its list of visa facilities for Indian nationals, says Indians holding a valid US, Schengen, UK or GCC visa who have travelled on it at least once are eligible for a visa on arrival. The MEA adds a disclaimer that its list comes from public sources and should be checked with the embassy concerned. Egypt's e-Visa portal says a visa is required prior to entry, and Egypt has not published a visa-on-arrival rule for Indians on it.
The e-Visa costs USD 30 for a single entry, is applied for from home and removes the risk of an argument at the airport. Get it before you fly. For other ways to plan your trip, see the Egypt country page.
Official sources
- Egypt e-Visa Portal: FAQ, types of visa and fees, Ministry of Interior
- Egypt e-Visa Portal: home, Ministry of Interior
- Egypt e-Visa Portal: how to apply, Ministry of Interior
- Egypt e-Visa Portal: disclaimer, Ministry of Interior
- Visa types, fees and documents, VFS Global Egypt India
- Book an appointment, VFS Global Egypt India
- Visa facility for Indian nationals, Ministry of External Affairs
